I think we've mentioned the contraction of expansion characters and books before: sometimes, when a title like Thor has a spin-off, like Thunderstrike, or alternate versions like Beta Ray Bill; somebody in editorial might decide the spin-offs are pulling focus and/or sales from the main title, and opt to re-consolidate a bit. Over at DC, they do that every so often with Green Lantern, both as a title and a character. Seemingly like clockwork, they'll decide one character--probably Hal Jordan--should be GL, and there should be no GL's before them; usually by benching or writing out others. A little later, possibly after some fans chirp up, they remember oh yeah, that B-lister had fans too; maybe time for a spin-off? Anyway, I was thinking about that, since today's book feels like it would've been the last issue for a lot of characters, but somehow Guy pushes through? From 1994, Guy Gardner: Warrior #21, "Emerald Fallout, part four: Fist Forward, Face Down" Written by Beau Smith, pencils by Mitch Byrd, inks by Dan Davis. All splash pages, or two page spreads!

This issue was on sale the same week as Green Lantern #53, so Kyle Rayner had the ring for about 20 minutes; and I had to look for a moment if this was from Hal's first heel-turn as Parallax or later: this story probably happens somewhere in the middle of GL #49 or #50. Parallax has impaled Guy, has a construct of himself refusing to listen to Arisia, and slaps down Alan Scott as well. At least we see part of that fight here, as Parallax has already got Wonder Woman, the Martian Manhunter, and other Leaguers captured; muttering angrily to himself how they don't understand and should've listened to him. Still, because it's Guy's book, he recovers enough to get back in the fight. In case you don't recall, Guy is 1000% in the right here to beat Hal's ass, since Hal had just killed Kilowog! Among others.

Guy sees Hal as a tightass that finally snapped; while Hal views Guy as a drooling psycho. Guy talks a big game, about how he could turn Hal's power against him; that is immediately shut down when Hal effortlessly destroys Guy's yellow ring. Hal smacks the yellow armor off of him as well, leaving Guy unconscious in his underwear, being flown off by green power. Is this the end of Guy Gardner...surprisingly, no! He would have to spend the next couple issues searching for something to replace the power rings he had used before, and would get new powers in time for Zero Hour! Which predates another costume switch "Warrior" always reminds me of: the Eidolon replacement War Machine armor. Read more!

I wasn't feeling great the other day--annoyed at work, and some age-related upper ass pain--but I managed to treat myself to seventy-some dollar books from a local store. There weren't any full limiteds: I'm missing a issue of Masks and of Duncan Rouleau's Metal Men, but those should be be fun reads. And yet today, we've got a random issue of another limited: from 2003, Mekanix #5, "Bad Moon Rising" Written by Chris Claremont, pencils by Juan Bobillo, inks by Marcelo Sosa. Cover by Cecilia Calle.

Remind me again why this series was titled "Mekanix," and not something more marketable, like "The Kitty Pryde Show." She gets top billing as Shadowcat, but Karma also guest-stars: I think she was another of Claremont's favorites, although bad stuff often seemed to happen to her repeatedly under other writers. This issue, they fight "a smaller version of the Mega-Sentinel that wiped out Genosha." Karma's mind-control powers aren't any help, but she's still down to fight to save her younger siblings; while the Sentinel already seemed to have counter-measures to Kitty's phasing powers. Luckily, their telekinetic friend Shola is able crush it into nothingness.

Too close to today's headlines, Kitty has been put on double-(not)-secret probation at the University of Chicago; I believe for punching out racists. Discouraged, she still gets sucked into a debate with mean girl Alice Tremaine, who represents Purity, the web face of the Voice of Humanity. (Were they related to the Friends of Humanity?) But, Kitty doesn't get to deliver the verbal knockout punch this issue, as more Sentinels arrive...

I haven't read the rest of this, but while the previous four issue probably flesh out the supporting cast, feels a little thin plot-wise. This might also have been setting up a Kitty/Karma relationship (or college experimentation...) that I'm not sure was touched again later. Read more!

"Specifically."

We've mentioned crystals multiple times the last couple months, building up to this! I've had Crystar for some time now, and am looking forward to seeing how he turns out here. As is often the case, it'll probably be 70% established continuity, 30% head-canon nonsense? I don't know all the words to "Wonderwall," but I might be able to cover this one! Read more!

Aw, it's the one with "Do You Want to Build a Snowman," not the one with "Danny Boy."

So, the song "Danny Boy" was in a playlist of songs for the Preacher TV show, but the YouTube video for it referenced Miller's Crossing, which I somehow don't think I had seen until recently: the below scene isn't really a spoiler, and the rest of the movie isn't as violent, but god that scene's cool. But when I think of that song, I'm thinking of the Question, but that reference was in the first two issues, not this one! From 1987, the Question #3, "Suffer the Children..." Written by Dennis O'Neil, pencils by Denys Cowan, inks by Rick Magyar.

In the previous issue, singing "Danny Boy," the faceless Question confronts Reverend Hatch, who had ordered his death in the series opener. Hatch seems broken, but the Question's concentration is broken by the sudden appearance of his ex, Myra, who had been forced into marrying the drunken Mayor Fermin. Hatch cracks the Question in the shoulder with a fireplace poker, then gets kicked into said fireplace, and goes out a fairly high window while on fire! It would be a dramatic escape for Batman, but Hatch merely seems to be put out and wrapped in a blanket by cops later; as Myra calls him a monster, and the real power in the scheme. Myra explains to Vic, not knowing who he really was, that Hatch had ordered a busload of kids blown up, to discredit the mayor's enemies. Myra shows serious grit, as she gets the Question past her drunken incompetant of a husband and the cops; while Vic was in shock from seeing her, and the revelation that she had a daughter, currently living in the same orphanage he grew up in.

Hatch had outsourced the bombing to freelance terrorist Benno Musto, who needed the cash to finance getting back at another client that had stiffed him: feels like that's good money after bad, but I suppose he had to maintain his rep. Not helping his rep or his temper, was his son Junior; whom he mocks as gay and weak. Which Benno claims would make his late wife "puke," but blowing up a school bus, that was fine? Benno tells his man Pedro, Junior would do this job, or shoot him. Meanwhile, Vic has a consult with his mentor, the coffee-swilling Tot; who notices the changes in Vic since his return.

While Vic runs down clues, luckily it was MJK Day, so not a lot of buses to choose from; Pedro and Junior were running late, since their van wouldn't start in the recent snow. Pedro suggests, maybe he wasn't cut out for the family business of terrorism, but along with the bomb already planted, Junior also brought...a very cartoony bundle of dynamite, in case there was a problem with the bomb; he could blow the kids up like Wile E. Coyote. Before they could set it off, Vic recognizes their van, mostly subconsciously, and hits them with his souped-up Volkswagen. Too close now to blow the bomb, Pedro attempts to fight it out with the Question, and gets knocked out. Junior tries his dynamite, but had about a foot of fuse on it, giving Vic time to get it away from the kids. Only later would he think, why didn't you just pull the fuse...? Idiot. Still, the issue ends with a little light in Hub City, as Vic visits Myra's daughter Jackie in the orphanage, as they build a snowman. Live in the moment, man. But, he would face Junior again... Read more!

File under "Comics you can hear." Too bad for you!

Some people can come out of personal tragedy as better, stronger, and kinder; but they probably don't have the added burden of looking and sounding like Gilbert Gottfried. That's too much to put on anyone...from 1991, The Adventures of Superboy #20, "The Secret (Until Now) Origin of Nicknack" Written by Scott Lobdell and Gilbert Gottfried, pencils by Jim Mooney, inks by John Statema. Cover by Kevin Maguire and Ty Templeton!

Huh, this was another series, tying into the 1988-92 TV show, which ran for a hundred episodes? Luthor, Bizarro, and Mr. Mxyzptlk all made appearances; but instead of Toyman, we got Nicholas Knack, a.k.a. Nicknack, with a similiar gimmick. Although he had been convicted for murdering his assistant, he was also pretty obviously crazy, to the point that the warden wanted to move him to a psychiatric facility. That's less out of kindness, than the fact that Nicknack is loud and annoying: despite having made dangerous toys in the past, he was still allowed to have some action figures, mostly to shut him up a bit. The warden calls in Superboy for help with the move; and they watch Nicknack beat the hell out of a Superboy action figure with a Nicknack figure, and tell his "secret origin." His dad had worked at the Mega Toys factory, until he had an unfortunate accident--well, unfortunate for him. He fell into a vat of molten plastic, but the "Fright Face Fling-Ding," a frisbee of his virtual death mask, was a massive seller for the company! His mom was killed in an accident at the funeral, and young Nicholas was adopted by the owner of the toy company. He's left with an overbearing nanny, whom he eventually murders, but it did give him the opportunity to study business; and he would flee to Europe and make a name for himself with hit toys and hostile--occasionally deadly--takeovers.

In fact, Nicknack still had holdings in Europe: the prison had bought its paddy wagon from one of his companies, and it transforms into a tank! I don't know if there was much call for that, but sure. With his tank and armor, Nicknack tries to make his break, eventually shooting a heat-seeking missile at the prison cafeteria--not just revenge for so many terrible meals, but he figures Superboy would have to stop it and he could escape. Instead, Superboy heats up Nicknack's armor, drawing the missile back, hitting them both: the prisoners have a moment to cheer for Nicknack making himself useful in death, but both survived, although Nicknack's armor was worse for the wear. He's left at the prison, but more worried about Tuna Melt Tuesday than anything.

The running joke is that everyone knows Nicknack looks like Gottfried, even Nicknack; with the line even getting crossed towards the end as he mentions his last appearance on Letterman! A fun issue; I hope Gottfried enjoyed it. Of course, years later, he would make multiple animated appearances, as the voice of Mr. Mxyzptlk!

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It'll be an Unexpected find in this box later, but that's probably true for the other books as well.

I'm more of a reader, than a collector: my collection is merely a build-up of reading material; and in that vein my organization would probably make most of you scream in frustration. I was just loading a number of books into a box that could only be described as "recently blogged," so yeah, bit of a crap-shoot. Then, I had double-check to make sure we hadn't seen this one already: from 1982, Unexpected #219, cover by Joe Kubert.

These later DC horror/sci-fi books were also crap-shoots, and the stories aren't A-list this time, but have some early work from a couple artists. Cover story "Boxed In!" finds alien visitors to earth, that find themselves not to scale, and their end is not surprising. (Story by Andy Helfer, pencils by Ric Estrada.) "They Don't Call Him Lucky Sam for Nothing!" is a shaggy dog of a sci-fi story, as a tramp spaceman signs a bum contract with an alien pirate; but it all turns out in the end for no reason. (Written by Sheldon Mayer, art by Jose Matucenio.)

"A Wild Tale" is told by a future teacher to her incredulous students, of a young girl rescued from an alien planet, who developed shape-changing powers. Could that be true? Well, let's just say nobody messes around in that class. (Story by George Kashdan, pencils by Trevor Von Eeden, inks by Ricardo Villamonte.) Lastly, in "Dust Devil," a small town in the Depression, on the verge of collapse, is offered an out by a devil. To make sure they don't get "a pig in a poke," one man asks for a trial period, and is given 12 hours to try their promised prosperity out. Kind of like the small-alien story; you pretty much know where this one's going; but it's got early Keith Giffen art that shows his Kirby influences. (Story by Gary Cohn.) 

Not a great one, but okay. I am blogging the cover though; so I don't buy it again! I feel like that cover's kind of well-recognized, probably seen by way more people than read this. 

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Yeah, nice Fay Wray, Kara.

Not to tell you your business, scientists, but if mysterious strangers show up in the middle of the night to "help" you with the giant-ass robot you built for peaceful purposes, they probably don't have the best of intentions. From 1972, Adventure Comics #422, "Pawn of Peace!" Written by Steve Skeates, pencils by Mike Sekowsky, inks by Bob Oksner.

Aliens disguise themselves as humans, to hoodwink a scientist that built a rather large and ominious peacekeeping robot: the damn thing didn't work, so I wonder how much the aliens had to do for it: it might just be an art piece for all we know. The aliens seem like they've got a plan but are also really enjoying their dickery; meanwhile, Supergirl is just trying to get to work on time, man. She was already late because she...sigh...stopped to look at a dress; and the robot seems to do a lot of damage, but Kara still worried she won't get to punch in before lunch. Priorities, Kara!

The robot gives her a bit of hassle, and she's grabbed for a bit: the Air Force shoots a few missiles at it, figuring they couldn't hurt Supergirl anyway, even if she was stuck. The scientist tries to make up for being duped by dropping from a helicopter onto the robot to disable its computer; which was pretty daring, except he's squashed like a bug. Supergirl figures out how to disrupt its circuitry with her x-ray vision and disables it; then after a couple pictures zips into the office, where she has to give a sick excuse that even her cousin wouldn't have been able to sell; while elsewhere the aliens disguise themselves again, to help a Russian scientist with his non-functional peacekeeping robot...I don't know if they returned, but honestly I kinda doubt it.

Also this issue: a Vigilante story, "Rodeo of Death!" Written by Bill Meredith, art by Gray Morrow. A publicity tour for some black cowboys is plagued by racist attacks; Vigilante helps stop the masked creeps, but not without cost. Read more!